Large game animals, such as deer, bear and elk, have a well-developed sense of smell. They use the sense of smell to detect possible danger, which they associate with unfamiliar or unusual odors. These animals will avoid entering an area if they preceive danger from an odor, such as human urine.
Hunters and naturalists who need to urinate while in the outdoors have to be concerned that the scent or odor from their urine will alert wildlife of their presence. One approach to this problem is to carry a container, such as a jar or bottle, that will hold the urine. The container has to be sealed after use and carried around for the rest of the time the person is outdoors. Another approach is to dig a deep hole into which the person can urinate and then fill and cover the hole with dirt. Both approaches pose obvious problems that are overcome by the present invention.
The present invention takes a mixture of activated charcoal and an acid, such as citric acid, and places them in a small, pocket-sized, squeeze bottle for easy carrying and use. Before urinating, the user makes an indentation in the ground and pours a small amount of the mixture into the indentation. The user then urinates on the same ground that has been wetted with the mixture. After urinating, the user saturates the ground area containing urine with the mixture. Usually, only three to four ounces of the mixture are needed. The effect of the mixture is to eliminate essentially all of the ammonia and other odors given off by the urine.
The effectiveness of acid in neutralizing ammonia is well known. It is also well known that activated charcoal is useful in absorbing chemicals and odors. Both acid and activated charcoal have been employed over the years in a variety of ways to control and eliminate odors from sewage and septic systems. However, the present invention represents a new and novel method for applying these chemicals, as well as a useful application unit for storing and dispensing these chemicals.